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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Was it simply an homage? Or flat-out copying? The jury decided Tuesday it was copying.
That's what has been at issue in the musically-packed, big-money Los Angeles trial over 2013 hit Blurred Lines.
Musicians Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I. preemptively sued the family of late singer Marvin Gaye for a determination on whether their hit song was an infringement on the copyright for Gaye's 1977 hit song, Got to Give it Up. Gaye's family counter-sued.

On Tuesday, Gaye's camp emerged victorious. The eight member jury voted unanimously that Thicke and song producer Williams had infringed on the 1977 Gaye song.

The jury awarded $7.3 million to Gaye's family. His children — Nona, Frankie and Marvin Gaye III — were present in court when the verdict was read.The jury reached the decision after hearing nearly a week of testimony about similarities between Blurred Lines — the biggest hit of 2013 — and Gaye's hit.

Thicke and Williams denied copying. Their song earned more than $5 million apiece for each. Although both are credited as its songwriters, Williams wrote the song in about an hour in 2012, and the pair recorded it in one night, according to the testimony.

The verdict could tarnish the legacy of Williams, a reliable hit-maker who has won Grammy Awards and appears on NBC's music competition show The Voice.

An attorney for Thicke and Williams has said a decision in favor of Gaye's heirs could have a chilling effect on musicians who try to emulate an era or another artist's sound.

Williams told jurors that Gaye's music was part of the soundtrack of his youth, but he denied using any of it to create Blurred Lines. Continue Reading Here:

Was it simply an homage? Or flat-out copying? The jury decided Tuesday it was copying.
That's what has been at issue in the musically-packed, big-money Los Angeles trial over 2013 hit Blurred Lines.
Musicians Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I. preemptively sued the family of late singer Marvin Gaye for a determination on whether their hit song was an infringement on the copyright for Gaye's 1977 hit song, Got to Give it Up. Gaye's family counter-sued.

On Tuesday, Gaye's camp emerged victorious. The eight member jury voted unanimously that Thicke and song producer Williams had infringed on the 1977 Gaye song.

The jury awarded $7.3 million to Gaye's family. His children — Nona, Frankie and Marvin Gaye III — were present in court when the verdict was read.The jury reached the decision after hearing nearly a week of testimony about similarities between Blurred Lines — the biggest hit of 2013 — and Gaye's hit.

Thicke and Williams denied copying. Their song earned more than $5 million apiece for each. Although both are credited as its songwriters, Williams wrote the song in about an hour in 2012, and the pair recorded it in one night, according to the testimony.

The verdict could tarnish the legacy of Williams, a reliable hit-maker who has won Grammy Awards and appears on NBC's music competition show The Voice.

An attorney for Thicke and Williams has said a decision in favor of Gaye's heirs could have a chilling effect on musicians who try to emulate an era or another artist's sound.

Williams told jurors that Gaye's music was part of the soundtrack of his youth, but he denied using any of it to create Blurred Lines. Continue Reading Here:

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